It is expected Adebayor will seal a season-long loan deal with Villa that will bring his Tottenham Hotspur career to an end.

Palace attempted to hijack Villa’s move for Adebayor and hoped the opportunity to remain in London could prove decisive. But Adebayor is attracted by the prospect of linking up again with Sherwood, with whom he flourished at Tottenham.

Adebayor has fallen down the pecking order at Tottenham

During Sherwood’s short spell as Spurs manager, Adebayor enjoyed a new lease of life and scored 14 goals in 25 games as the pair struck up a close relationship.

Both men now hope that relationship can bear fruit once again at Villa, with the club in desperate need of a goalscorer to replace Christian Benteke. Adebayor also knows another of Villa’s summer signings, Jordan Ayew, and is confident he can strike up a good partnership with the 23-year-old Ghana international.

Transfer window closes in

As well as setting up a deal for Adebayor, Villa confirmed the signing of the defender José Ángel Crespo from Cordoba.

“José is a player who has been on our radar for some time and we’re really pleased to secure his signature,” Sherwood said. “He is an experienced player who has played in La Liga and Serie A, two of the strongest leagues in Europe, and from speaking to him I know he can’t wait to play for Aston Villa.”

Crespo, a former Spain Under-21 international, has also played for Sevilla and Racing Santander as well as having spells in Italy with Padova, Bologna and Verona.